MARLTON, N.J., Jan. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Virtua filed a motion today with the New Jersey Superior Court to preserve the integrity of the state's emergency air medical system.

A New Jersey appellate court panel on Tuesday opened the door to a potential class action lawsuit against Merck & Co. on behalf of people who took its now-withdrawn painkiller Vioxx and want the company to pay for tests to detect possible heart ailments.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. _ Merck & Co. Inc., trying to head off a costly punitive verdict over Vioxx, conceded Monday that its conduct may not have been perfect but pleaded with a New Jersey jury not to punish it for merely "falling short" with good intentions.

Merck & Co. Inc. asked a judge on Friday to dismiss the punitive phase of this Vioxx liability case, arguing that the plaintiff's attorneys had not presented evidence that showed the drugmaker hid data on its painkiller from regulators, but the motion was denied.

Vioxx appeared to cause more heart attacks than another common pain-reliever in a study not because Vioxx was dangerous, but because the other drug, naproxen, helped protect the heart, a Merck & Co. Inc. scientist told a court on Wednesday.